


Belt

by hesitateobscure



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, i love + appreciate billy hargrove, maybe PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-19 05:28:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13117014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hesitateobscure/pseuds/hesitateobscure
Summary: Billy thought he could escape him. Thought that maybe, in Chicago, miles away from his father, he’d finally be free of him. But somehow, Neil managed to hide in the walls of Billy’s mind, waiting to come out.





	Belt

**Author's Note:**

> [sorta inspired by for what you have had to endure by palinopsia]

Billy remembered the first time his father unhooked his belt and slipped it out of the loops. At the time, he was eight, and didn’t understand what was about to happen. Didn’t understand why it hurt so much, why his father was doing this, anything. He didn’t understand anything. 

—

Steve laughed, throwing his head back, pulling Billy in close for a hug. “God, Hargrove, you’re gonna be the death of me.” He shook his head and walked towards the bed, peeling off his sweaty shirt. Billy was untying his boots when he heard that sound. 

A belt hitting wood. 

Then, suddenly, he was back in the linoleum-floored kitchen of his youth, backing into a corner. His father is standing in front of him, bringing his belt down against the table; some kind of sick warning to Billy. 

“What did I tell you? What did I fucking tell you? Answer me, Billy, fucking answer me.”

Billy tries to answer him, say anything to placate his father, but his throat is stuck and he can’t breathe. 

“Respect and responsibility, Billy. And you know what the school just called to tell me? That you tried to steal lunch. Does that sound very respectful?”

Billy shakes his head, looking to find an exit but he can’t; everywhere he looks, there are walls or his father. 

“Get your fucking shirt off. Bend and touch the table.”

His father brings the belt down, hard and fast, once, twice, three times, more-

“Billy! God, Billy listen to me, c’mon, Billy, please.”

Someone’s touching him, shaking him. His vision is blurry, he barely registers what’s going on before shoving the person away.

“Don’t touch me. Just- don’t. Don’t come near me, please.”

Piece by piece, Billy starts to recognize where he is. Brown carpet, faded blue walls, bed in the corner. It’s his and Steve’s apartment in Chicago. He’s breathing heavily, and his hands are shaking. 

On unsteady legs, Billy pushes himself up, taking a hesitant step towards Steve. 

“Please, don’t do that ever again. Don’t make that noise.”

Steve nods, swallowing, before walking towards Billy. When Steve gets within a foot of him, he reaches out, and Billy flinches away. 

Steve’s eyes widen. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“No, it’s fine. I shouldn’t have freaked out on you, I’m sorry.”

Steve wraps his arms around Billy, hugging him tightly. 

“Don’t apologize for that. It’s fine, Billy.”


End file.
